7 Matchups We Want To See At Journeymen Wranglemania
7 Matchups We Want To See At Journeymen Wranglemania
Journeymen Wranglemania returns! 13 college programs will be at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA for a dual meet bonanza!
Journeymen Wranglemania returns! 13 college programs will be at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA for a dual meet bonanza!
Journeymen will host 12 duals that will take place on three mats over four sessions.
Schedule
10:00 AM: Buffalo vs Sacred Heart, F&M vs VMI, LIU vs Duke
12:00 PM: Buffalo vs Cal Baptist, VMI vs Sacred Heart, Illinois vs Binghamton
2:00 PM: Campbell vs Cal Baptist, Rutgers vs Duke, LIU vs Arizona State
4:00 PM: Campbell vs NC State, Rutgers vs F&M, Illinois vs Arizona State
Matches We Hope To See
The exact lineups are still TBD but we do know which teams will be there, which means we can start thinking about potential matchups we'd be pumped to see go down in Bethlehem.
133: #7 Lucas Byrd, Illinois vs #19 Julian Chlebove, Arizona State
Illinois vs Arizona State will be one of the marquee duals of the evening and has been rightfully scheduled in the last time slot at 4:00PM. Arizona State is ranked #11 while Illinois is #19, but expect Illinois' ranking to improve as the season goes on. Byrd is a two-time All-American who sat out all of last season while on medical redshirt, making this Byrd's first varsity match since the 2023 NCAAs. He'll be tested by Julian Chlebove, who had his best year for the Sun Devils last season, going 19-10 and qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Watch Lucas Byrd win the 2022 Tiger Style Invite:
133: #6 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers vs Mason Leiphart, F&M
Rutgers will be a heavy favorite in both of their duals, but don't sleep on the Franklin & Marshall. The Diplomats have a solid lineup led by true junior Mason Leiphart, who already amassed 47 wins over the last two seasons. Leiphart will likely face Dylan Shawver, an Ohio native who had a breakout performance for the Scarlet Knights last season, winning a Big Ten title and placing seventh at NCAAs in a very crowded division.
141: #6 Kai Orine, NC State vs Shannon Hanna, Campbell
Like the previous two matchups, NC State and Campbell are booked for the final 4PM time slot. Shannon Hanna is one of the senior leaders of the Camels, looking to finally make the podium after qualifying for the NCAAs in 2022 and 2023. Hanna could see Kai Orine, also a senior leader but for the Wolfpack. The Missouri native placed eighth at the last two NCAAs.
149: #11 Kannon Webster, Illinois vs #14 (141) Jesse Vasquez, Arizona State
Had Kannon Webster started last season, there is a good chance he would've reached the All-American round as a true freshman, as he finished the year 20-1 with his sole loss coming to eventual All-American Ty Watters 4-2. Ultimatley Illini head coach Mike Poeta elected to keep Webster in redshirt, but there's no holding him back this season. ASU, now in the Big 12, will have some options at 149, but there's a good chance we see Jesse Vasquez, who made the round of 16 at last year's NCAAs at 141lbs.
174: #11 Dan Braunagel, Illinois vs #15 Brevin Cassella, Binghamton
The Illini may also see a ranked matchup in their dual versus Binghamton. Dan Braunagel is back in the Block I singlet (as is his brother Zac at 197). Three-time NCAA qualifier Danny is ranked and is slated to take on Brevin Cassella, another three-time NCAA qualifier going into his senior season at Binghamton.
184: Nathan Haas, Cal Baptist vs Marcus Petite, Buffalo
Nathan Haas may sound familiar to college wrestling fans, as he was #29 on the class of 2020 Big Board and spent the first three years of his career at Nebraska. Haas transferred to California Baptist before last season and returned to a campus much closer to his hometown. Like Haas, Marcus Petite hasn't yet qualified for the NCAA tournament but he has been a stalwart on the Bulls roster for the last four years.
285: #7 Taye Ghadiali, Campbell vs #9 Isaac Trumble, NC State
It's possible the biggest matchup of the event, both figuratively and literally, is also the last one to be wrestled chronologically. Isaac Trumble wrestled 7 matches last season at 285 after spending the previous three seasons at 197. Trumble is an All-American contender at heavyweight, as is Taye Ghadiali, who placed eighth last year at the NCAAs, the first All-American for Campbell since Nathan Kraisser placed eighth in 2017.
Watch Gahadiali defeat another Wolfpack heavyweight, Owen Trephan, at the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational:
